Foot control for the gasolene-supply of automobiles.



E. J. FULGHUM.

FOOT CONTROL FOR THE GASOLENE SUPPLY OF AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 15. 191's.

1,238,126. Patented Aug. 28,1917.

attorney ELISHA J. FULG-HUM, OE HERMMISVILLE, MIGHIGAN.

F091 GQHTBOL FOR, THE GASOLENE-SUPPLY OF AUTOMOBILES.

racemes.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented Ange 28, 1191?,-

Application filed December 15, 1916. Serial No. 137,205.

To all whom 2'2, may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIsHA J. FULGHUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hermansville, in the county of Menominee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Foot Control for the Gasolene- Supply of Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful foot controlling mechanism for the gasolene supply of automobiles, and has for its principal objects a cheap and simple device designed to be secured under the foot-board of the vehicle and which will lie adjacent to the plane of the foot-board whereby it may be readily operated by the foot of the driver while the latters foot is in a restful and natural position, which will give the driver a complete control of the fuel supply at all times, and wherein said supply will be constant instead of intermittent, and the automobile thereby caused to operate smoothly and evenly instead of jerking by reason of sudden increase or decrease of the mixture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the foot-board of an automobile, the same having applied thereto and in position for use a asolene supply foot control mechanism emodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail in partial section of the device and Fig. 3 is a similar view of another form thereof.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawing.

For the purpose of illustrating the application of my invention, I have shown the same applied to an ordinaryinclined footboard 1 of an automobile, the only alteration to the foot-board being the provision of a narrow slot 2, formed immediately below the point where the foot of the driver usually rests.

At one side of the slot, and bolted or otherwise secured to the underside of the footboard, as at 3, is a depending supportingbracket 4, at the lower end of which is a laterally disposed journal 5, extending across and below the slot 2 in the foot-board. At the inner end of this journal there is formed an annular shoulder 6, and the outer end of the journal is reduced at 8, and threaded, thus forming an outer reduced shoulder 7.

Mounted upon the journal 5, between the shoulders 6 and 7 is a rocking hub 9, from which radiate at an angularity of about forty-five degrees, a pair of arms 10. These arms 10, at their outer ends, support a segmental foot-plate 11, the perimeter of which extends through the slot 2 of the foot-board and slightly beyond the upper surface of said board. This foot-plate may be simply roughened or, as shown, provided with a corrugated rubber cover 12, for the purpose of preventing the foot of the operator from slipping when operating the device.

lhe front arm 10, may be provided near its outer end with a perforation 13, in which is connected the rear end of the rod or wire 14:, leading to the throttle and by means of which the supply of mixture is controlled. At a convenient point, a clip 15, may be secured upon the rod, the clip being located some little distance in advance of the footboard 1, and tothis clip I may secure the front end of a light coiled return-spring 16, the rear end of the latter bein secured to an eye 17, or some other convenient form of device, extending from the foot-board.

Normally, the spring tends to draw the controlling-device rearwardly toward the driver, in which position, it will be understood, the throttleof the carburetor is closed or nearly so, the throttle being more or less opened and the flow of fuel increased by moving the controlling-device forwardly b a corresponding movement of the foot, the latter serving to retain the device in any ad justed position and at the same time resting in a natural position itself on the upper side of the floor or foot-board at each side of the slot 2 andin the path of and overlapping the segmental plate 11.

The oscillating device shown is maintained on the transverse journal 5, by means of a nut 18, and a washer 19, the latter being interposed between the nut and the outer shoulder 7 In Fig. 3 of the drawing I have illustrated a slightly different construction as regards the return-spring, which, it will be understood, operates to instantly close the throttle and cut off the fuel supply when the device is released from the influence of the foot of the operator. In this latter construction, I provide the inner end of the hub 9 with a radial perforated lug 19 and to the same fasten one end of a torsional spring 20, the latter being wound somewhat loosely about the hub, and connected at its opposite end to a perforation 21 formed in a washer 21, the latter being of somewhat greater diameter than the hub. Against the washer is the usual nut 22. This arrangement is intended to take the place of the spring 16, clip 15, and eye 17, formerly described. It is desirable to have merely suflicient tension on the spring to cause it to instantly return the controller and close the throttle when released from the influence of the foot of the driver, and for this purpose, by adjusting the washer 21 to proper position rotatively and tightening the nut 22 so as to lock the same, the torsional spring 20 will serve the purpose. Moreover, being capable of adjustment, the tension may be regulated to suit the driver. 'Of course, if preferred, the spring employed in either construction, may be omitted, and the foot of the driver employed for both opening and closing the throttle; also by slightly decreasing the length of the journal 5 so that the washer 19 will rest against the end of the hub 9, and tightening the nut sufliciently, the washer will operate frictionally upon the hub and thus hold the controller at any point it may be adjusted by the foot. Some character of returnmeans is, however, desirable, for the reason thatit is considered much safer to employ a means for positively and instantly closing the throttle when the device is removed from the influence of the foot. In operation the sole of the shoe of the driver may engage frictionally with the segmental footplate, and push the same forward to open the throttle the desired degree, the foot resting inan easy natural position while holding the throttle open and being supported, as usual, by the foot-board. By moving the foot forward or backward it will be apparent that the throttle will be opened wider or more nearly closed in accordance with the direction of movement. If desired, the operation may be reversed, that is, the springs in either illustration of the invention may be employed to normally influence the segmental plate in directions the reverse to those described Having described my invention, what I claim, is:

1. The combination with the foot-board of an automobile, provided with a slot, of a bracket secured to the underside of the footboard adjacent the slot and provided with a rigid fixed transverse journal extending across the slot at a point below the latter,

of a hub mounted to rock upon the journal,

a segmental foot-plate carried by the hub and projectingthrough and slightly above the slot, a connection between the segmental plate and the carbureter control, and a spring for normally closing the latter and retracting the foot-plate.

2. The combination with the foot-board of an automobile, provided with a slot, of a bracket secured to the underside of the footboard and depending therefrom adjacent the slot, and provided with a transverse journal extending across the slot below the same, said journal having at its inner end an annular shoulder and its outer end reduced and threaded to form a reduced shoulder, of a hub mounted to rock on the journal between the two shoulders and slightly less than the distance between the same, a washer against the outer shoulder, anut against the washer, arms radiating from the hub, a segmental foot-plate carried by the ends of the arms and having its perimeter projecting through and beyond the slot, a connection from the front arm leading to the carbureter control, and a spring for normally closing the control.

3. The combination with the foot-board of an automobile, provided with a slot, of a bracket depending from the foot-board adjacent the slot and provided with a rigid fixed transverse journal extending across and below the slot, a hub mounted to rock i on the journal, a foot-operating means carried by the hub and projecting upwardly through and slightly beyond the slot of the foot-board, and a connection leading from the same to the control of the carbureter.

4:. The combination with the foot-board of an automobile, provided with a slot, of a bracket depending from the foot-board adjacent the slot and having a transverse j ournal extending across and below the slot, said journal having a threaded outer end reduced to form a shoulder, a hub bored to receive the journal and supporting a segmental foot-plate extending upwardly through and beyond said slot and adapted to operate a throttle connection, said hub being provided at its inner end with a perforated lug, a washer having a perforation located on the reduced threaded 1,2ss,12e

end of the journal and against the shoulder thereof, a spring coiled about the hub and having its inner end engaged by the perforated lug of the hub and its outer end engaged by the perforation in the Washer, and a clamping nut on the outer end of the journal and serving to clamp the Washer against the shoulder of the journal.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence 1w 7 of two subscribing Witnesses.

ELISHA. J. FULGHUM. Witnesses:

THOMAS A. Pam's, W. H. DANIELS. 

